


Aaron Minyard's Great Expectations

by njostn



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aaron Minyard Centric, Aaron Minyard is Important, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Andrew Minyard is a Chaotic Specimen, Bisexual Aaron Minyard, Bisexual Kevin Day, Fluff, Happy Andrew Minyard, Happy Ending, Happy Foxes (All For The Game), M/M, POV Aaron Minyard, twinyards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23270311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/njostn/pseuds/njostn
Summary: Aaron Minyard has expectations for the world.He's supposed to find a nice girl, although boys are looking better the more he thinks about it. Now he's questioning his sexuality. He was supposed to make it through college as a med student, and not change his major four times until deciding he wanted to be an English major. Life wasn't supposed to be like that.And his twin brother shouldn't have showed up at his door at three in the morning, smiling that ugly smile. But he did anyway.Aaron has expectations, but they are all wrong.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. miss oscar cat

**Author's Note:**

> this is because i love aaron, and i want to throw some love out for him.  
> thanks to my coauthor, grace, who tells me my brilliant ideas are brilliant.

**_Aaron Minyard’s Great Expectations ; One_ **

“What the fuck, Andrew?” Aaron asked as he opened the door wider, allowing his twin access to his house. “Why are you here in the pouring rain, standing on my doorstep with… With, uhm, _what the fuck is that?_ ”

Andrew gave him a lopsided grin. “Surprise?” he said, pushing himself past Aaron and through the door.

“Andrew Joseph, stop right there. What in the goddamn world are you bringing into my house at three in the _fucking_ morning!”

“I brought myself and a tiny little problem that is now your problem. Now unfortunately, I must go, because adventure awaits! Bye-bye, Aaron!”

Aaron watched as he left, turning to the lump of cloth sitting on his table. “What the fuck did you do?” he murmured, unwrapping it slowly. The blob moved, and he flinched backwards. “What the fuck? Oh, hey little guy. Why did Andrew bring you here?”

Aaron moved carefully to pick up the cat, gently petting him. “When Andrew said King was knocked up, I didn’t expect to be gifted one of her kittens.” The cat nuzzled farther into his arms as he spoke, “Poor baby. Big, mean Andrew didn’t even give you a name. How about Oscar? You could be an Oscar.”

Aaron flicked his fingers through the cat’s fur before freezing. “I’m not going to be a good cat dad,” he apologized, although Oscar couldn’t understand him. “I don’t know the first thing about cats, only that Andrew calls King a pest constantly. Maybe we should go to a pet store.”

Aaron set Oscar down on the ground and walked to his room, changing out of his sweatpants and into jeans and a sweater. As soon as he grabbed his keys, Oscar growled quietly. Although it was more of a harsh purr. “What’s up, baby boy?” Aaron flicked his eyes to the clock. “Oh, it’s not even four. Maybe we should sleep first.” Aaron grimaced, “I’m talking to a fucking cat. Jesus Christ, they think Andrew is the insane one.”

Aaron padded down the hallway, stripping himself of his sweater and jeans as he got into the room. He turned around, “What the fuck, dude. Don’t you know it’s creepy to watch people undress? Fuckin’ weird cat,” he grumbled. He cursed himself for talking to the cat so much. Andrew knew he was lonely, so this was definitely premeditated. 

He pulled out his phone, tapping on the message icon, which automatically opened to Andrew’s contact.

[Aaron’s iPhone ; 23 March 2020 ; 3:57 a.m.]

**Aaron: thanks.**

Andrew: what did you name her?

**Aaron: i thought it was a him.**

**Aaron: oscar.**

**Aaron: also known as cat**

Andrew: wonderful. miss oscar cat.

Andrew: who knew my brother was so good with cats.

**Aaron: fuck off.**

Whatever else Andrew had to say, Aaron didn’t care. He had more important things to worry about, like Miss Oscar Cat. “Andrew just informed me I should refer to you as Miss Oscar Cat. How do you feel?” She lifted her paw lightly, tapping Aaron’s nose. He laughed quietly. “Go to sleep, fuckwad.”

Not checking to see if Miss Oscar Cat listened, Aaron turned his back towards the door and fell back asleep, like he was before Andrew fucked up his night.

\---

When he awoke, Aaron had completely forgotten of the events earlier that morning. He quickly got dressed after a quick shower, brushing his teeth as he danced around his bathroom. 

He had just sent in an application to change his major. Again. He was now officially Aaron Minyard, English major. It was exciting and something he had never considered until he went to his favorite cafe’s open mic night. The prettiest boy read out a poem that made Aaron’s floodgates open and his emotions were let loose. It was his first day in his new classes. He barely missed the cut off for changing, but he was already taking the main literature courses. 

He danced down the hallway to where coffee was brewing on the counter. He smiled as he sniffed the air, getting out a metal cup and its lid and picking up the coffee pot. As soon as he started to pour it, there was a nudge at his leg, startling him enough to drop the coffee pot onto the counter. He watched as it shattered on contact, “What the fuck? What the fuck!” He looked at the time, deciding he would deal with the mess later. He grabbed his wallet and keys, stuffing them into his pockets. He turned behind to see the small cat trailing behind him, tilting her head lightly. “Don’t give me that look. If that isn’t cleaned up by the time I get home, I’ll maim you.” Miss Oscar Cat only purred, as if mocking him, “I’m serious. Clean it up or you’re out.”

He left the house, locking up and hoping the cat wouldn’t destroy anything. Halfway to the coffee shop, he turned around. He walked back to his house, unlocked the door, and clicked his tongue, “C’mere, fuckwad! I can’t leave you here or else you’ll starve.” When there was no answer, he tried again, “Is that what you want? Or do you want food?” The small scrape of her claws against the wood floor was enough for Aaron to be content and not worry that she had hurt herself. When she rounded the corner, Aron gracefully lifted her into his arm and walked out the door, repeating his actions from earlier. This time as he walked, he didn’t swing his right arm, which was now occupied with a tiny ball of fur. 

He approached the coffee shop with 45 minutes to spare, eyeing the ‘no pets’ sign. He thought about the cat in his arms and the backpack resting on his shoulders. “Alright,” Aaron whispered, “piss on my books and you’ll get no food at all. No food ever.” He gently placed her in the bag, leaving the top unzipped.

Aaron made his way into the shop, waving politely at his favorite barista and favorite person, Katelyn. “Is that Andrew or Aaron? I can’t tell,” she giggled, fully knowing it was him.

“Oh, shut up. Speaking of him though,” his eye twitched as Katelyn’s lips made an ‘O’ shape, “he showed up last night. Or, this morning really. And he… gave me something.”

“Jesus Christ, Aaron. Did he,” she leaned forward, whispering, “did he kill someone again? I know I’m studying law but I can’t help with that stuff.”

Aaron shoved her shoulder, “No. It’s so much worse than that.” He slid the bag off of his back and put it on the counter. 

Katelyn’s eyes flicked from side to side. When Aaron’s hand went to open the bag, she rested hers on top. “You don’t have to show me, you know. Whatever is happening with you and Andrew isn’t my business.”

Aaron chuckled dryly, “It is when I need you to help feed her.”

“Aaron Minyard, if this is a child…”

Miss Oscar Cat poked her head out of the hole, sniffing at Katelyn’s hand, giving a tentative lick before easing away. “Meet Miss Oscar Cat. My, well, cat.”

Katelyn held up a finger and walked away, doing her job before returning to Aaron. “I don’t even know how I can help.”

“The first thing I need is a caramel macchiato and a breakfast sandwich,” Katelyn nodded her head. “I think I can feed that to you,” He addressed Oscar. 

Katelyn returned, two drinks and two sandwiches in her hand. “I’m taking my break now. Introduce me to her.” She tapped her freshly manicured nails on the table.

“But the no pets policy.”

“Aaron, I work here. No one cares.”

Aaron sighed, “Okay, fine.” He lifted Oscar out of the bag, listening to her tiny purrs of contentment. “I swear, Katelyn. He scared the hell out of me, showing up at the asscrack of dawn with that smile on his face. I could have-”

“Hey! You can’t have animals in here! What if someone is allergic!” 

“Sir, it’s fine. We’re only taking a few more moments. I can get your coffee now, if you’d like.” Katelyn gave him a sweet smile, but the man looked behind her towards Aaron. His eyes sparked with recognition, his lip turning up into a sneer. Aaron could have sworn he had seen him before. He saw the tattoo on his cheekbone but didn’t put much thought into it. Maybe they had a class together. Maybe they had been in a group project together and Aaron had forgotten. He was always delirious with caffeine when he had morning presentations. He decided that’s where he knew him from. 

“Andrew? Andrew Minyard? Jesus, am I glad you’re here. We have to talk about what you said about me in your last article.” The man glared, lowering his voice to a deadly volume, “What the fuck did you do to me, Minyard? Everyone thinks I’m an asshole!”

Aaron couldn’t have been more wrong.


	2. kevin day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aaron and neil are simping. hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back to "what would aaron minyard do?"  
> thanks for coming back   
> aaron and neil are simping hard. that's it.

**_Aaron Minyard’s Great Expectations ; Two_ **

“Maybe they think you’re an asshole because you are one,” Aaron said before he could think about who he was talking to. 

Katelyn reached over, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and squeezing, “Aaron, don’t. This isn’t your fight.”

“Wait. What did she just call you?” The man’s nostrils flared, but his voice lowered, suddenly sensing that maybe he was in the wrong.

“She called me my name. Aaron. Not Andrew. Check your facts before you go screaming at people for making you out to be an asshole.” Aaron turned his body towards the man, “Even though you make that happen yourself.”

The man was standing with his mouth open. He huffed once, and then once more, and walked up to the counter. Katelyn smiled apologetically, going back to what she was supposed to be doing. 

Aaron murmured quietly to his cat, eyes not moving from the tall man waiting for his drink. His foot tapped impatiently, his fingers snapping off beat. Aaron was curious as to what Andrew did, but any more time spent thinking about Andrew might make him go insane. 

“So,” the man sat himself down in front of Aaron, “I’m Kevin Day and your dick of a brother made me out to be a talentless exy player who is nothing but an ego.”

Aaron didn’t have enough information to know if Andrew was right, so he went the safe route, “That sucks. Sorry about that.” His fingers found his lips, pulling at the dead skin. A nervous habit he had never kicked. 

“Do you even know who I am? Normally people would be more riled up,” Kevin explained, eyeing Aaron, watching as he picked at his lips slowly.

“I don’t have enough evidence to know which of you was right or wrong. If you want me to go up against Andew, I’ll do it, but not without the correct information.”

Kevin looked impressed. He was quiet, looking down at the cat resting against Aaron’s arm and then out the window behind him. Aaron tsked before setting his cat back into his backpack gently, “Unfortunately, you’ve wasted all of my time. I’ll be late to my class.”

“Hold on! I’ll uhm…” Kevin sighed, standing, “Are you going to Palmetto? That’s where I’m going.”

Aaron rolled his eyes, “Right. Exy star for the Foxes. I forgot.” 

Kevin raised his eyebrows. “Yes, I’m going to Palmetto. Did you want to walk me there or something?”

“Actually,” Kevin scratched the back of his neck, curling into himself slightly, “yeah. That’s exactly what I wanted to do.”

“Jesus Christ. Okay, Prince Charming. Hurry it up or I’ll leave without you.” Aaron walked past Katelyn, waving to her and ignoring her questioning look. The truth was that he didn’t know what he was doing either. 

He didn’t turn back to see if Kevin was following him. For such a tall man, he really didn’t make any noise at all. Maybe he was doing it on purpose, to make up for the fact that he had made such a scene in the coffee shop.

“Kevin , I swear to god. If you don’t actually walk beside me and talk to me, then this isn’t as chivalrous as you want it to be.

Kevin shuffled his feet as he fell into step beside Aaron, “So, what are you studying?”

Aaron rolled his eyes, but he appreciated the newfound effort. “I’m an English major. Yes, I know it’s terrible, but I enjoy it.”

Kevin laughed strongly, “That’s hilarious. That’s what people say about being a history major.” He tapped his fingers against his thigh, something Aaron wouldn’t have normally noticed. He had really nice thighs.

“Are you studying history then?”

Kevin blushed, ducking his head towards the ground, “Unfortunately so. It’s fun, but with exy it’s hard to stay on top of things. And I suck at writing essays. And apparently that’s all history is.”

Aaron, before even thinking, answered, “Well, I could always help you. I mean,” he took a deep breath, thinking through his next words, “I write essays for a living, basically. And I wouldn’t mind.”

Kevin gave him a questioning look which Aaron rightfully ignored. “Won’t your brother be upset?” Kevin asked, genuinely concerned.

“If I gave a fuck about my brother, I would be a completely different person. Plus,” he shoved Kevin’s shoulder playfully, “that gives me another reason to hang out with the famous Kevin Day.”

Their conversation ceased as they approached campus. Kevin’s eyes flicked towards the court before going back to Aaron, “If you needed another reason, you could always come to one of our games. Not for Andrew. I meant-”

“For you. Yes, Kevin. I understand when someone asks me on a date. I’ll get the schedule from Andrew and I’ll be there. Okay?”

Kevin stood straighter, realizing how he had shrunk in on himself, “I’ll reserve seats for you. Actually, better than that, I can pick you up. Just text me your address. Yeah, that will work.”

“Kevin! Practice is starting soon, dipshit!” Kevin’s eyes widened and he smiled apologetically before running away. Aaron caught himself waving and forced his hand down. What was he doing? (jesus he was simping) 

He walked away after watching Kevin’s retreating figure, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He suddenly was conscious of how he looked. Why had he worn such an oversized sweater? And pale blue was definitely not his color. He had absolutely no chance. Not to mention that he assumed it was a date. It was only an invitation to go to the game.  _ God _ , he thought,  _ Why was he so stupid?  _

His thoughts were taken up by everything that had happened that morning. From having to feed his cat, who was napping quietly in his backpack, to meeting Kevin Day and then being wooed into attending an exy game. 

“Mr. Minyard? Would you like to add anything to the conversation?” Aaron’s eyes opened again, meeting his professor’s. He laughed solemnly, “I’m kidding, Aaron. We’re doing a group project. Pick your partner.”

Aaron’s eyes wandered around, hoping to find someone he knew. He saw Renee, Andrew’s best friend, but she was with a taller girl and they were talking happily. He kept looking around, but he couldn’t find anyone. There was a light tap on his shoulder and he turned around to meet right blue eyes. 

“Hey Everyone else has a partner and we’re the only two left.” He jutted his hand out, “I’m Nathaniel. Actually, call me Neil. Neil Josten.”

Aaron smiled, shaking Neil’s hand, “I’m Aaron Minyard. I’ve never seen you around, are you new?”

Neil stifled a laugh. “Something like that,” he muttered. 

Aaron didn’t question him any more and got to work. They were making a presentation on society and the defining qualities of people. Neil had a lot to say, and so did Aaron. Aaron was glad to have someone who shared the same views as him. He did a project back in high school, and his partner was the most racist and homophobic bitch he had ever known. He was insanely glad Neil wasn’t the same way.

Aaron nudged Miss Oscar Cat, who mewled quietly. Aaron bit his lip as he looked around. Pets weren’t technically restricted, but he would definitely get in trouble for having a cat in your backpack.

Neil eyed him, leaning over to peak in his bag. “Is that a cat?” he whispered, bold blue eyes staring at in wonder.

“Yeah. My stupid brother gave him to me this morning. Can you believe that?”

“Holy shit, what’s his name?”

“Andrew.”

Neil looked down at the cat, poking one finger at his fluffy back. “Hi, Andrew,” he whispered.

Aaron burst into laughter. “No, my bastard of a brother is named Andrew. Her name,” he pointed towards the cat, “is Miss Oscar Cat.”

“Holy shit. Please, I need to give her cuddles.” Neil took his hand out of his backpack and stared at Aaron, hoping he would say yes.

Aaron felt like he was talking to his brother. “When you come over to help me finish this presentation, you can have all the cuddles you want.”

“I’m not busy tonight. Does that work for you? Or should we reschedule?”

Aaron rolled his eyes, pulling his phone out and checking his calendar. Speaking of schedules…

“Do you by chance know the exy schedule? I was supposed to text someone about a date, but I don’t have their number.”

Neil hopped excitedly in his chair, “Oh! Yes, I know the schedule! Practice today ends at one, by the way. So you’ll have time to get their phone number. I’d love to go with you,” Neil stopped himself, finally taking a breath. He smiled again, “I’ve never even seen the court.”

“I haven’t either and my brother plays. You’d think I would have seen it at least once.”

Neil laughed, “That’s why your name sounded familiar. I was a little confused why you weren’t at practice.”

“I wouldn’t be so worried. Andrew cuts practice all the time. Why don’t you play?”

Neil raised an eyebrow, packing up his stuff to leave with Aaron. “I didn’t know I could, not until you said something,” he explained, frowning.

“I’m sure Andrew would love to help you. What position do you play? Not that I know anything, but Andrew complains about their current strikers constantly.” Aaron recalled the multiple times he had picked Andrew up from late night practice and he was fuming, complaining about how lousy the strikers were and how “if they wanted to stand around and do nothing, they should have been goalkeepers.” Aaron always laughed at that.

“That’s hilarious,” Neil said, “because I play striker.”

As the two walked down the hallway, Aaron started to panic. “Hey, Neil?” The man in question nodded to encourage Aaron to continue. “How do I give my number to someone? How does stuff like that work?”

Neil clapped his hands, “I have just the thing!” He slid his hand into his backpack, plucking out a red fine-tip pen. “Write it on their hand. No, if they play exy, write it on their arm. It works wonders. Plus you get to feel their muscles.”

Aaron nodded, “You’re really educated on this.”

Neil blushed, “Well, there is someone who I’ve wanted to talk to for a while. But I can’t because it would be weird.”

“As weird as what you’re about to see?” The two stood in front of the door, and Aaron texted Andrew to let them in. 

“Oh, definitely,” Neil nodded his head. He froze as the door opened and Andrew moved his head out.

“What the fuck do you want?” Andrew looked at Aaron, glaring. “Hey, junkie.”

Neil squeaked, “Hi.”

“Stop harassing Neil. I need to talk to Kevin. Move out of the way, Andrew. Neil, come on.” Aaron pulled Neil’s arm, forcing him to move from his frozen state. Andrew stood at the door, watching them walk. Once Aaron knew he was out of earshot, he started, “You seriously have a crush on my  _ brother _ ? Neil, who the fuck are you?”

“He’s good at math! And exy!” Neil defended before quietly looking at the ground. 

Aaron held his sleeves over his hands as he waited for Kevin to notice him and walk over. He twirled the pen over his left fingers, almost dropping it when Kevin saw him and waved. He yelled something at the team before unlocking the door to the court, walking over to where Aaron and Neil stood. “Hey, nerd,” Aaron said, hiding how nervous he was.

“Hey. Why are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but we’re in the middle of something and-”

“You told me to text you. Guess who can’t text you? Me.” Aaron leaned forward, grabbing Kevin’s arm and uncapping the pen with his teeth. He held the cap between his lips as he wrote, very neatly, his number. Kevin watched as he capped the pen with his mouth and then smiled. 

“Text me. I’ll be waiting.” Aaron turned on his heel, grabbed Neil’s hand, and led them down the halls. Once they were away from Kevin, Aaron lost his composure. He let go of Neil’s hand and stopped walking. “What the fuck was that?” Neil squeaked and Aaron shook his head.

“I wish I knew what I just did. I can’t even remember.” Aaron massaged his forehead with his fingers. “We have to walk to my house. Are you okay with that?”

Neil picked at his fingernails, “Maybe tomorrow would be better. I think you should have the night free.”

“Do you want to take Miss Oscar Cat home with you?”

Neil shook his head, politely declining. “Whatever you say, Neil. Have a good night.” Aaron smiled as the two parted ways. He walked away from the court and towards his house. He took a moment to stop and take Miss Oscar Cat out of his backpack. “I’m sorry, baby. That must have been so horrible. We have to stop at the pet store tonight so I can buy stuff for you.” He gazed down at the cat, laughing at how she reached her paw out to touch his nose. “I feel like I’ve just been knighted. Thank you, Queen Oscar Cat.” 

He probably looked insane, walking around with a cat and talking to it, but he had such an interestingly good day that it didn’t much matter to him what other people thought. 

When he finally got home, Aaron threw his backpack down on the floor, cursing himself and hoping his laptop didn’t just get crushed by anything. He set Miss Oscar Cat on the ground in front of a bowl of water. She lapped at it happily, and he took a moment to stare at her in amazement before going to his room. He checked the time, deciding he could take a nap. He changed into gray sweats and a white t-shirt and laid across his bed, arms and legs sprawled out. He stretched, his bones groaning in protest. As soon as he closed his eyes, his phone pinged. He assumed it was Andrew, but the thought that it might have been Kevin was what urged him to finally check to see what the notification was.

[Aaron’s iPhone ; 23 March 2020 ; 2:17 p.m.]

_ Unknown Number: Is this the nicer, much cuter Minyard? _

Aaron: yep. that’s definitely me.

_ Kevin: Thank goodness. I was worried. _

Aaron: why?

_ Kevin: After what happened this morning, I thought you wouldn’t give me a chance. _

_ Kevin: And then you walked back into my life. _

Aaron: lucky you

_ Kevin: Very lucky.  _

_ Kevin: Are you busy tonight? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading. and thanks for comments.  
> love ya xx


	3. mini golf and pizza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kevin and aaron are going on a daaaaaaaate, except PLOT TWIST.  
> not really.   
> have fun reading :)

**_Aaron Minyard’s Great Expectations ; Three_ **

If his mother could see him now, she would have sent him back to his room, braely letting him out without a broken neck. But his mother wasn’t there, so it didn’t matter. He went against every cell in his body telling him not to go on a date with this guy and told Kevin that he was free. It was now 6:45 and Aaron was pacing nervously, unsure if he was too dressed up or not enough. He continuously told himself it was dumb and that he should just cancel, but then there was a knock on the door. And then another one. And then the echo of the doorbell ringing through the house.

“Fuck,” Aaron cursed, digging through his pile of shoes. He settled on a pair of Doc Martens and went to the door. He heard a cough and then another knock. He stopped breathing once he swung the door open.

“Holy fuck…” Aaron said. He realized what he had just done and bit his tongue to keep from saying anything worse.

“Are you ready?” Aaron nodded, following closely behind Kevin. Aaron reached for the door handle, but Kevin got to it first, holding the door open for him. Aaron blushed, saying a small ‘thank you.’

“I hate to ruin the mood,” Kevin said halfway through their drive, “but I’ve never done this before. I felt like you would be upset if I didn’t take you out as soon as possible.”

Aaron snorted, “You thought I would be upset? God, no. We only talked for the first time this morning, Kevin.”

Kevin flicked his eyes to focus on Aaron before looking back to the road. “I realize now how stupid it sounds. Do you want to go home?”

Aaron shook his head. “I’d rather see what you have planned,” he said. 

Kevin barked out a laugh, “It’s not as amazing as you think, but… we’re almost there.”

Aaron sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching as the streetlights passed and picking at a loose thread on the bottom of his shirt. He wished he would have worn a sweater or hoodie as the sun went down and the temperature dropped. They pulled into a vacant parking lot, minus five other cars, and Aaron looked around. He unbuckled, feeling uncomfortable. Kevin gave him a lopsided grin, grabbing something from the back of the car. Aaron really hoped he wasn’t about to die. Especially at what looked like a rundown arcade-slash-mini golf building.

“Are you serious?” Aaron asked, clutching his arms to his chest. “If I had known we’d be outside, I would have-”

Kevin tossed something at him, which Aaron effortlessly caught. “Nice reflexes,” he complimented. “I thought ahead. I’m used to being around dumbasses all day. Speaking of… Andrew said you asked for a schedule. Are you seriously coming?”

Aaron kicked a rock with his shoe , watching as it skidded across the sidewalk. He slid the hoodie on, burying himself in the warmth and the scent of Kevin. He wondered for a second if Kevin would let him keep it. Or if he could take it without consequence.

Kevin held the door open for him. Aaron promptly thanked him. He stood behind Kevin, who paid for both of them. Kevin laughed as he turned to the shorter boy, “Do you need a child’s club or can you handle a bigger one?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Aaron groaned, pushing past Kevin and grabbing a dark blue club. Kevin, of course, took a neon orange one. As they left the facility into the outside portion, Aaron had a thought. “When I was 17, Andrew and I went to play mini golf. This was back when I wanted to play exy. So, he took me out with him, and he told me that if I couldn’t play mini golf then I couldn’t play exy.”

Kevin snorted, “So, what you’re telling me is that you suck at mini golf?” He laughed again, “I guess I’ll go first. Show you how it’s done.”

Aaron stood back and watched as Kevin made a hole in one. It was only the first hole, it was meant to be easy, he reminded himself. But he still wondered if Kevin was good at every sport he played. Kevin turned to Aaron, “It’s your turn. Show me your skill. Or lack of, if what you said is true.”

Aaron rolled his eyes, setting his ball down and getting into stance. “No. You’ll go so far off if you swing from there. Here,” Kevin wrapped his arms around Aaron, moving their bodies in sync. “Now move your feet apart just a little… Just like that. Okay, now draw back. Not with too much force.” Aaron was trying his best to pay attention to what Kevin was saying, but all he could feel was his body heat, his breath on his neck, his hands wrapped around Aaron’s. “Okay, go.”

Aaron took a swing, hitting the ball lighter than he would have, and watched as it went into the hole first try. He jumped up, cheering rather loudly. Kevin raised an eyebrow at him but smiled anyways. “You have to understand,” Aaon explained, “that that is the first hole in one I have ever made in the thousands of mini golf matches I’ve played.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help with your first.” Kevin screwed his nose up, “That sounded so wrong, I’m sorry.” 

Aaron laughed, daringly reaching for Kevin’s hand. “C’mon. If you keep doing that, I think I’m going to win.”

Aaron assumed Kevin would complain, telling him that it would end in a tie, or that it wasn’t technically a competition. But instead Kevin said, “Okay. Let’s show mini golf what you can do.”

Aaron wanted to correct him and say that it was really what Kevin could do, but he didn’t. He stood back, admiring how passionate Kevin was. Kevin swung, the ball bounced off the walls and landed inches away from the hole. Kevin only shrugged, “Guess it’s your turn. Maybe you can do better than me.” 

Once again, Kevin stood behind Aaron, fixing his stance and swing. And once again, Aaron got a hole in one. “You better not be letting me win, Kev,” Aaron said, pointing a warning finger. The man in question on shook his head, but his smile said otherwise. “Whatever. I hope you’re ready to lose.”

Kevin stood, not making any advances to the next hole. Aaron was going to say something, remind him that they still had to play. Kevin reached out and grabbed Aaron’s hand. “I have a better idea,” he said. “How about we ditch mini golf and go somewhere for dinner”

It wasn’t really a question, but Aaron nodded his head anyway. The two returned their equipment and walked back to Kevin’s car. “Do you have anything you won’t eat? Is there something specific you want?”

As a terribly indecisive person, Aaron feared this question. “Uhm, I don’t really have anything. You can pick. I promise I’ll eat anything.”

Kevin gave him a warning glance, but put the car in drive and went the opposite way of where they came. “You don’t need to be home at a specific time, do you?” 

Aaron shook his head, “No. Although Andrew will be worried if I don’t come home in the next month.”

“Jeez. Only a month? I assumed he would never notice.” Kevin laughed, but Aaron didn’t think of it as much of a joke.

“Where are we going?” A change of subject would do good, Aaron decided. And he was rather hungry after not eating since that morning.

“I’m not going to lie, I really wanted pizza and I know the best place. Andrew introduced me to it.”

Aaron sighed, “Let me guess. Nicky Hemmick-Klose?”

Kevin gave him a bewildered look as he parked out front of the dimly lit building. “Yeah, how did you know? I mean,” he continued, “it makes sense because Andrew knew, but he never said how.”

Aaron grimaced, “You’ll see.”

“I understand why I like you,” Kevin said and Aaron laughed.

“Don’t forget about that once we’re eating, okay?”

Aaron led the way this time, knowing this place like he knew he needed to breathe air. The bell on the door jingled, and Aaron was glad Nicky wasn’t standing right there, sensing his presence.

Kevin shoved his shoulder, “We should just sit down. There’s a corner booth over there by the window, c’mon.”

Once again, Kevin took his hand. They sat across from each other and Aaron held his breath at the sound of approaching footsteps. “Oh my god! Erik, guess who’s here!” 

“Hey, Nicky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading. i swear there will be more andrew/neil in the next chapter.  
> comments and kudos are always welcomed.   
> love you xx

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! love ya xx


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